Updating my Credit Guide in Mercury – Frequently asked questions

Here are some frequently asked questions in regard to understanding the updates to the Credit Guide made in 2019.

Why can't I see the lender data section in my Credit Guide?

You may be using a non-Master credit guide. Generally, this is because you have created a tailored credit guide for your business.

You can verify this by accessing Mercury/ Documents tab/Merge templates/Loans - Compliance. If you can see another version of the Credit Guide (other than the MASTER versions) this is your non-Master Credit Guide.

If you delete your non-Master Credit Guide, then Mercury will automatically revert back to using the MASTER Credit Guide

Once you have deleted your non-Master Credit Guide you can make the updates specified in the following wiki article:

To upload your Credit Guide back to your Mercury go to Documents tab > Click on Merge Templates > then click “New template (Upload) and it will appear under Loans > Compliance.

So, each time you generate the credit guide this copy will populate with the lender data/tables filled out.

The lender data section does not show the table data?

If you have previously deleted the tables in your credit guide template then the new financial years' data will not be able to populate through. You will need to download the MASTER template that has the tables populated.

To update your Credit Guide template go to Mercury/ Documents tab/Merge templates/Loans - Compliance. If you can see another version of the Credit Guide (other than the MASTER versions) this is your non-Master Credit Guide, delete your non-Master Credit Guide, then Mercury will automatically revert to using the MASTER Credit Guide.

What happens if I have not been in Business for the full 12 months of the last financial year?

You can add a disclosure to your data to state that you have not been in business for the full 12 months.

Suggested wording: ‘I commenced with <insert company> on <insert date> and the information provided is from this date until the end of the financial year’.

What happens if I am completely new to the business and have no data for the previous financial year?

You can remove the tables under the Lender data section and add the following:

This section would provide information about the lenders I am accredited with, the number of lenders used my top six lenders and the percentage of settlements with lenders over the last full financial year. Please note that I became a Credit Representative of Connective Credit Services Pty Limited on <INSERT DATE>, therefore, there is no settled data for the financial year 2018-19.

I have my last financial years' data from my previous business, can I add this information?

Yes, you can by manually updating your lender data into the tables.

When I download my Credit guide I can still see the red disclaimers?

When you download the MASTER template all the disclaimers will appear in your credit guide. Before you save this version as your credit guide please ensure you remove all required red text. Once removed you can then save this version as your credit guide.

What do I need to do with the Preferential service section?

If you receive any preferential services from lenders then this will need to be disclosed on your credit guide. You will need to update this section by changing the font to black and listing which lenders offer a preferential service.

If you do not receive any preferential services, you can delete these sections completely.

Why are my accreditations not showing up?

So that the lenders you are accredited will populate on your credit guide you will need to update the ‘Credit Guide Accreditations’ section in Mercury. Please go to Mercury> Admin tab> Credit Guide Accreditations tile.

Once you have ticked all the lenders you are accredited with, select save. This information will then populate onto the credit guide.

Why are there two top 6 lender tables?

The table under the heading Our Lender Panel – Credit Providers, discloses to your clients your Australian Credit Licensee’s (ACL’s) top six lenders based on the last 12 months settlements by dollar value. If you are also a Credit Representative, then there will be another list that provides the same data based on your settlements by dollar value. This is rolling data and is updated monthly. NB: The top 6 lenders are not in volume order.

The table under the heading ‘Lender Data’ is based on the Combined Industry Forums recommendations. This discloses your top 6 lenders based on settled deals by dollar value for the last full financial year. This information will only be updated once per year following the end of the next financial year.

Is the information under lender data based on the number of applications or loans settled?

The wording in the Credit Guides will soon be updated to better specify the methodology. The data in this section is based on settled loans by dollar value, not the number of loans settled, or applications submitted.

How have you worked out who are my top six lenders?

The top six lenders are based on lenders who you have settled the most business with by dollar value for both tables.

Why do I have less than 6 lenders on my top 6 lenders list?

If you only see 5 or fewer lenders this means you have settled loans with 5 or fewer lenders in the applicable timeframe.

If you have used any off-panel lender’s then this information will have to be added manually.

Is it just the Credit Guide that has been updated?

No. If you have access to ‘Preferential service offerings and programs’ (also known as tiered servicing) provided by one or more lenders and this lender(s) is selected in the Preliminary Assessment and Credit Proposal Disclosure you will need to make a disclosure to your client. We have added the relevant disclosures into the Preliminary Assessment and Credit Proposal Disclosure, you will need to update amend the relevant section. If the lender(s) are not applicable then delete, alternately if applicable then you will need to include the disclosure.

I need to add a lender to my top 6 lenders table (lender data), how do I work out the percentages?

The percentages are calculated on the amount settled with each lender over the last financial year. One way to work this out is to divide the amount settled with each lender by the total loan amount settled, then multiply by 100. Please see the example below.